potato_carrot | Inoue Mao interview for Otona Oshare no Techo January 2021

Inoue Mao interview for Otona Oshare no Techo January 2021

The powerful true story of the women who cause the rice riots shall be adapted to the big screen!

Daikome Sodo (The Angry Rice Wives), a movie that depicts the historical moment during the 7^th year of the Taisho era when for the first time, Japanese women organized local protests. Set in a fishing village in Toyama Prefecture, it shows a piece of entertainment based on historical events. “I know the words rice riots, but I never thought it was the women who spearheaded them at first. We filmed the movie way before the coronavirus pandemic started, but I never imagined the situation now will turn out like this. But with this huge phenomenon that we are in right now, I think it would be easier to convey the importance of the actions and voices of women who fought against real problems. It was a battle but there are moments of humor and cheerful laughing, so I am glad to be able to do this movie during these times. It becomes a movie that will lift your spirits once you finish watching it.”

Inoue Mao’s character, Matsuura Ito is a woman who loves learning about things deeply. For Inoue-san who juggled acting work since her childhood and graduated from university, she imagines her current role with an intelligent and rich personality. “Ito came from a farmer family who got married into a family in a poor fishing village so at first she felt out of place. But as she started to share her sufferings with people around her, she slowly started to make her voice heard. I thought it would be nice to show such character development. I can’t say I love learning to that degree, but I loved going to school. I had fun while being in my drama and movie filming locations, but I grew to love going to school too because of people around me that time. Despite not being skillful at anything, I was able to juggle being an actress and a student because I was blessed with such friends and teachers who supported me. Even now, I am still in contact with my high school teacher.”

With powerful veteran actresses like Natsuki Mari and Muroi Shigeru who plays the leader of the group of okaka (Toyama dialect word for mother) all together in this movie set, the atmosphere sounds lively like they were in a women’s college. “We looked sunburned because of the makeup so we burst out laughing when we show our faces to each other (laughs). But everyone had lots of fun. The makeup had to be applied all over so it took some time. Our arms, hands and feet had the same makeup, so it was a chore removing them after. But we had fun talking about what is the best makeup remover or discovering that soda water is the best one to use. Suzuki Sawa-san knows a lot about beauty stuff, so she was able to reserve me a spot to her recommended massage salon. The women talked about health and beauty topics when we were together. Our filming breaks in the set became sort of a women’s college club in way so our director and the male staff might have felt out of place (laughs).

She has restrained herself from eating rice during filming but normally, she aims for a balanced eating habit so she cooks for herself almost every day. “I am not into cooking that much” she says but today it seems she cooked Japanese winter melon soup while with some kaarage on the table. She also gives time to drink coffee to relax for a bit. “I prepare my coffee and drink it while watching movies or reading books and I love selecting what coffee mug to use or sweets to go with it. For a time, I did the grinding myself, but I am the type who can’t sustain any habits (laughs). So right now, I ask the store to grind it for me and I just taught myself how to use a coffee drip.”

Inoue-san showed us how she cherishes such feel-good kind of lifestyle. But with regards to work, she says, “I feel suited doing it at my own pace. I spent my 20s wanting to live up to all the demands of my work with my very best so when I entered my 30s, I contemplated more on how should I live from hereon. With my own volition I was able to do a lot and right now I might be fumbling on things, but this is the time for me to slowly think of things that are closer to my own self. I think it would be best if I don’t push myself that much and just be natural.

As she matured, her answer to what roles she wanted to play next is also very natural. “I’m not aiming for a particular role right now but I want to try being in a project set in the vast nature. It might be the influence of watching the drama Kita no Kuni Kara (From the Northern Country) during the stay-at-home period (laughs). Lately, I have been meeting people of the same age or younger than I do so I want to work with them. I want to be someone who can enjoy all the opportunities that may come out.”